Google Shopping Censors Guns, Ammo and Accessories

Townhall.com Staff

6/29/2012 11:47:00 AM - Townhall.com Staff

A weapon’s parts and accessories vendor, Hamlund Tactical recently received a notice from Google, explaining the new ‘shopping experience’ transition, and what changes it requires of the new small business. Certainly not business as usual:

We do not allow the promotion or sale of weapons and any related products such as ammunitions or accessory kits on Google Shopping. In order to comply with our new policies, please remove any weapon-related products from your data feed and then re-submit your feed in the Merchant Center.

What prompted Google’s ‘shopping experience’ transition to now exclude this business’ operations?

Some clues that point to a possible answer:

Last month, Allahpundit, of HotAir covered Bank of America’s dismissal of McMillan Fiberglass Stocks, McMillan Firearms Manufacturing, and McMillan Group International after 12 years of banking.

In the post we learn that:

- Bank of America was the recipient of well over 100 billion dollars in federal money

- They are one of just two vendors processing payments for Barack Obama’s 2012 presidential campaign

- Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, is the site of the Democratic Nation Convention in September

- During the 2010 midterm elections BOA opened 32 million credit line for the Democratic Party

- They donated $421,000 to President Obama’s 2008 campaign

And Allahpundit observed, “If the Democratic leadership needed a favor from BOA, the bank might be in a position where it felt obliged to comply even at the risk of some sort of political backlash on the right.”

So here we are with ‘Take 2’.

So far this Presidential election,

- Google has donated over $608,000 by their organizations' PACs, their individual members or employees or owners, or those individuals' immediate families

- Specifically, Eric Shcmidt, Google’s own Executive Chairman has already donated $5,000 out of his pocket to Obama’s campaign

- Surprise, surprise – “Google beat Microsoft in securing a [$35 million] contract from the U.S. Department of the Interior, which originally chose Microsoft to provide e-mail and collaboration software for over 90,000 employees” by undercutting Microsoft’s deal by 14 million